10 Years
by artist-chan
Summary: People say a drawing holds a certain sort of life. So what kind of life do Chihiro's drawings hold?


A/N: So i was watching spirited away and decided I was unsatisfied with the way Haku and Chihiro wound up in the end. So what better way to remedy that than fanfiction?!

Disclaimer: I really don't own Spirited Away. Darn.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Mom! It really happened!"

"Chihiro, you're just daydreaming. There's no way something like that could happen,"

Chihiro scowled, hands full of roughly drawn pictures. On top was a man that appeared to have several long, spidery arms. Her mother looked down at the stack of paper her daughter held.

"Children have such incredible imaginations," she mumbled to herself.

Chihiro's frown deepened and she gripped the paper with such force that it started to wrinkle. "I didn't imagine it! I swear! You guys were pigs, like this-" she pulled a picture of two rather-ordinary looking pink pigs from her stack. "And then I had to work for a witch to save you! I even came to visit you once with…" her voice wavered off. Her mother raised an eyebrow as Chihiro fell silent.

"Chihiro? Are you okay, honey?" her mother asked, raising a hand to brush her daughter's hair back. A small sparkle caught her eye and she looked at the purple hairband in Chihiro's hair. "Oh my, what a pretty hair tie! When did you get this?"

Chihiro glared up at her mother. "I got it from my friends! I told you, Zeniba helped them make it!" Her mother sighed. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Chihiro, I think it's time for bed," her mother said, walking away to finish the dishes. Chihiro stood, clutching the pictures of what she knew to be true. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Defeated, she walked slowly back to her room.

"Don't worry guys, I know you're real," Chihiro whispered to the stack of papers. Carefully she set them on her desk and pulled out her favorite pictures.

"Lin, I hope you got those train tickets you wanted so bad," she whispered. "I bet Granny and No-Face have done lots of weaving while I've been gone too," She reached out and touched her drawings carefully, wishing she could hear Lin's obnoxious voice or see Granny's smile. She took a deep breath and picked up her most important picture with great care.

"Haku… Kohaku…" the tears grew in intensity as she looked at the rough outline of her greatest friend in the spirit world. "I need you... I need your help. I'm so lonely without you…" She closed her eyes, remembering his smile as she had remembered his name. A dull ache settled in her chest. Still crying, she crawled over to her bed and laid down. Carefully she set the picture down next to her head on the pillow. She stared out the window as the last rays of sunlight disappeared.

"They should be lighting the lamps right now," Chihiro sighed. Her eyes wandered closed of their own accord. "Haku…" A light breeze blew across her face.

"The window was closed, wasn't it?" She sprang out of bed and ran to the wide open window. She looked outside for a few seconds, looking for signs of movement. Eventually she sighed and closed it. "Great, now I'm going crazy,"

"Are you sure you're not just waiting for someone?" said a deep voice behind her.

Chihiro froze.

"Chihiro?" the voice said quietly.

"Ha—Haku?" She whispered, not believing her own ears. Slowly she began to turn toward the voice.

"Wait-" his voice said and suddenly something covered her eyes that felt a lot like… paper. "Chihiro… "

"Haku!" she cried, grabbing the paper away from her eyes and whirling around.

Paper.

"Wha…?" She gasped. "Haku?"

Standing in front of her was a life-size, 3-D version of her drawing.

"Chihiro-" the paper's mouth spoke. It reached out a hand to her. "Please don't be afraid,"

Chihiro stared at the drawing, her mind struggling to comprehend the situation. "It must be a dream," she whispered, hugging herself. "It has to be-"

"NO," The paper-Haku yelled. Chihiro jumped, startled by the sudden noise. "Believe me, this is no dream," His hand touched her cheek and she shivered at the feel of cold paper. His roughly-drawn eyes filled with sadness.

Gently she reached up and touched the hand on her cheek. It sure felt real, but Haku… the drawing was a disgrace to his true form. Tears formed in her eyes once more. "Haku…"

"Chihiro! Please, it's me!" Haku's paper hands grabbed her shoulders. His eyes were full of pain.

"Haku, I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears. His sketchy eyebrows raised in confusion.

"For what? I'm the one that hasn't been able to come see you," he whispered softly, bringing his hands to her face.

"But now you're stuck looking like… that!" she whimpered, covering her face with her hands. "I feel terrible… I couldn't draw you better,"

Paper-Haku laughed quietly and drew his arms around the crying Chihiro. "Silly girl. This drawing is just a temporary fill-in for my true form. Without it, I couldn't talk to you," Chihiro sniffled softly, wiping the tears from her face.

"So you're not mad at me for drawing such a terrible picture of you?" she asked quietly. Haku smiled.

"Not at all. I'm just glad to be here with you, Chihiro," he murmured, holding her with all the strength his paper body allowed. "I've been here many nights before, each one stuck as a voiceless spirit. But now I can talk to you," gently he brought his fingers to her cheek, brushing it softly, "and touch you,"

Chihiro shivered and hugged him tighter. She froze as the sound of paper crumpling reached her ears. A small grunt of pain came from Haku. Terrified, she sprung away. His abdomen was covered in small wrinkles where Chihiro had squeezed him. "Haku!"

"Don't worry, Chihiro. I'm fine," he grimaced, feeling the creases in his paper. "It's nothing really,"

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, sitting down on her bed and curling into a tight ball. She jumped as a paper hand rested gently on her head.

"As long as you believe in me, I will be fine," Haku whispered in Chihiro's ear. She looked up at him and smiled at the sincerity in his eyes. They seemed fainter… as if he was fading away!

"Haku!" she cried, reaching out to his face. The paper felt weak beneath her fingers, like tissue paper. "No! Don't leave me again!"

"Chihiro, I told you not to worry," he said. "As long as you draw a new picture, I can come back tomorrow. I promise," Her eyes widened.

"Really?" she squeaked. Haku nodded, his paper almost completely transparent. "Haku! I'll become a better artist, I promise! I'll learn to draw better than anyone! I'll draw your picture every day-" she was cut off by a finger over her lips.

"Thank you, Chihiro," Haku said, his voice sounding like it was far away. She smiled up at him. Suddenly he leaned closer to her, causing a funny tickling sensation to rise in her stomach. His paper lips placed a small kiss on her forehead, causing the skin to tingle with a strange electricity.

"Haku," she whispered.

And he was gone.

* * *

"Chihiro is so cool when she's drawing!"

"I know, her face looks so serene and calm!"

"Not to mention that she's absolutely amazing at it too,"

Chihiro smiled to herself as she listened to her classmates whisper. Gracefully her hand swept across the empty page, leaving beautiful curved lines in its wake. She closed her eyes, picturing her subject clearly against her eyelids.

"Have you noticed she always draws the same guy?"

"Yeah, I know! They're really good, but she's wasting her talent,"

"The other things she draws are completely gorgeous!"

Chihiro frowned slightly and opened her eyes. She kept the picture fixed in her mind as she continued to draw. With each line her heart grew lighter. Her frown gradually shifted to a smile as she watched her art take form. The quick, rough lines were like notes of a symphony; plain on their own but stunningly beautiful when combined. And so far, there were no sour notes.

The voices of her classmates floated away, leaving Chihiro and her drawing in their own world. She leaned in close to perfect the details of the face she knew so well. Her hand followed the familiar shape like a dancer follows her steps. But today, something was different. Something behind the penciled eyes looked incredibly… alive.

Chihiro's eyes widened as she inspected her nearly-finished drawing. She sat back, running a hand through her already messy hair. She glanced around the studio, seeing other people busily working at their own drawings. Her eyes wandered back to her own picture and a smile spread over her face.

"Chihiro!"

She jumped at the sudden noise, nearly falling out of her chair. The professor stood behind her, looking at the picture with a frown.

"Chihiro, how many times have I told you not to do this?" the professor sighed, shaking her head. "This picture may be absolutely stunning, but I've said numerous times to _draw what you see_. I see no man like this inside my classroom, do you?"

Chihiro shook her head slowly. The professor sighed again, leaning in closer to inspect the picture. "Just to let you know, this is an incredible work of art," she whispered softly to Chihiro. "Especially since it came from your heart,"

Chihiro smiled. The professor straightened up and winked at Chihiro. "Just don't do it again in my class,"

"Yes, ma'am," Chihiro said calmly, turning back to her drawing. Her heart skipped a beat as she locked eyes with the figure. Her pulse slowly increased as a blush rose to her face.

"Wait- professor!" Chihiro called, turning around in her chair. The professor stopped walking and stared at Chihiro. "I—I don't feel so well."

"You do look a bit flushed," the professor sighed. "Fine. Chihiro, go home for the day,"

"Thank you," Chihiro whispered, standing up quickly and grabbing her picture. She rolled it up tenderly and slid it into a cardboard tube. Grabbing her backpack, she ran quickly from the room.

She sprinted over the campus, a smile plastered happily over her face. She hardly noticed the buildings rush past her as she ran to her apartment a few blocks from campus.

Tonight was it.

She struggled to keep her hand steady enough to place the key in the lock. She burst through the door, dropping everything but the cardboard tube. In a flash she was in front of her own art desk, scrambling around to find the right pencils. She unrolled the picture and leaned down, concentrating.

10 years. 10 years since she had begun to draw him every night. At first her sketches were poor and embarrassing, but over time she began to notice improvement. And as she improved… so did he. The more accurate the drawing, the stronger he was. The more lifelike the drawing, the longer he stayed.

So she worked harder. Like she promised.

She took as many art classes as she could through high school, building her skills. She got into one of the most prestigious art colleges. Each day was a countdown until the next sunset. She took frequent naps during the day in order to spend more time awake at night. And each night she'd wait patiently.

And he would come, just like he promised.

Before she knew it, the drawing was done. Chihiro sighed and straightened up to inspect her work.

It was Haku.

Not a single line was out of place. Chihiro's eyes widened as her eyes traveled over the perfectly penciled figure of her closest friend. Not only was the figure incredibly accurate, there was _something_, some inexplicable quality about it that made the picture undeniably Haku.

Chihiro glanced impatiently at the window. It was maybe an hour or more until sunset. Her eyes wandered back to the drawing. Gently her fingers brushed the drawn cheek, careful not to smudge it.

"Haku," she breathed, "Will you come tonight? Will you stay… with me?" She brought her fingers up to her mouth and kissed the tips. Tenderly she placed her fingertips on Haku's forehead. "I cannot live without you much longer,"

With a sigh, Chihiro walked away from the drawing to her unmade bed. She flopped down, exhausted. Her eyes closed slowly as she fell into a light sleep.

A light breeze blew past Chihiro's face from the window she always left open, if even a crack. Her eyes snapped open and she searched the room eagerly. "Haku?" she called into the dimly-lit room.

"Chihiro,"

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the deep voice. She stood up, walking over to the art desk that she kept close to her bed. The piece of paper that had been drawn on was completely blank.

"Haku?" she called again, looking around anxiously. Her breath stopped as she felt hands close over her eyes from behind. Giggling, she lifted her hands to remove his from her face.

_Skin._

Chihiro's heart nearly stopped as she felt the warm hands over her eyes. Tears prickled in her eyes and she grabbed his hands with all the strength she had.

"OW! Chihiro, what's wrong?"

She spun around and came face to face with the living, breathing, incredibly _human_ Haku. The tears flowed over from her eyes and she brought a hand up to his face. Her fingers tingled as they brushed soft skin. "Haku…" she whispered, "You're… alive! You've got _skin!_"

His eyes widened. He lifted his fingers and gazed at them, amazed. "Ch—Chihiro! How?"

A huge smile broke out over her face and she hugged him with all she had. "I told you, I would become the greatest artist ever!" A familiar buzz settled in her stomach as Haku ran his fingers through her hair.

"So since I'm not paper…" he whispered, and lifter her chin to lock eyes with her. She shivered as she stared into the beautiful green eyes. He drew closer slowly until their noses brushed. Chihiro gasped as her skin sparked with electricity where he touched. "… that means I can do this," he said, his warm breath mixing with hers.

Wonderfully soft lips pressed against hers as Haku kissed her tenderly. Chihiro felt all her thoughts drip slowly away, replaced by a warm and tingly sensation. 10 years. It had taken 10 years, but suddenly every single minute was worth it.

Chihiro pressed herself eagerly against Haku, kissing him passionately until she couldn't breathe anymore. She pulled away a fraction, taking in a deep breath.

"How long…" Haku whispered, breathing heavily, "how long I've waited… for this," He leaned his forehead against Chihiro's and smiled so bright she found her eyes closing of their own accord. Exhaustion washed over her body and she clung on to Haku for support.

"Me too," she said quietly, savoring the feel of their foreheads touching. Her whole body began to ache as all her energy disappeared "Haku… something's… wrong,"

His weight began to lean on her as well. "I can… feel it…" His hands grabbed her shoulders to try to steady them both.

"Haku…" Chihiro whispered, wanting very badly to simply fall asleep. "I want you to know… I love you,"

She heard Haku's breathing stop for a second. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. "Chihiro… me too," Warmth enveloped her in a happy cocoon, and she felt her consciousness drift farther away. Everything seemed slow and strangely blurry. Colors faded away, turning into blacks and whites. It reminded her distinctly of a graphite drawing.

Soft lips against her forehead.

Then black.

* * *

"How long has this girl been missing, exactly?"

"Two or so weeks. She left class because she didn't feel well and never came back,"

Two policemen walked lazily up to a plain-looking apartment door. One lifted a hand and knocked loudly against the wood.

"HELLO? ANYONE IN THERE?" he yelled gruffly, listening carefully for a reply. There was no answer. He turned to the other officer and said, "Looks like we'll have to bust the door down,"

"Hang on," the second officer walked up to the door. Calmly he twisted the doorknob.

Unlocked.

"Oh," the first officer mumbled, slightly disappointed. They walked into the silent apartment cautiously, passing an empty kitchen and living room.

"It's a small apartment, the only other rooms are the bedroom and bathroom," the first officer said, walking into the empty bathroom. "And she's not in here,"

"Hey!" the second officer called from the bedroom, "You gotta take a look at this!"

The first officer walked into the bedroom and was met by hundreds of sketches. There were stacks of paper everywhere. And they all seemed to be of the same man. "Do we know if she had a boyfriend?" he asked the other cop, who was staring open-mouthed at a drawing on the small desk.

"I didn't think so," the second cop replied, "but come look at this,"

"What?" the first cop walked over and glanced down at the paper. "Hot damn! This girl had talent!"

The drawing was incredibly lifelike. The man the cop had seen in all the sketches had his arms wrapped tightly around a girl. An air of happiness seemed to radiate from the paper itself. It was as if they could jump right off the page.

"Hey… doesn't she look exactly like the girl we're looking for?" the first cop asked. The second cop nodded in agreement, struck speechless by the drawing.

"Who is this guy?" the first cop wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure," the second cop said, getting out a camera. "But I bet if we find him, we'll find her," He started taking snapshots of the drawings.

"Yeah," the first cop sighed, glancing around at the other pictures. The second cop put his camera away after he was satisfied.

"She's not here, so we should go" the second cop said, turning to leave. The first cop looked back at the drawing on the desk.

"Well, at least wherever they are, they look happy," the first cop said, turning to leave as well.

"Yeah, wherever they are,"

They were happy.

* * *

A/N: So thanks for reading! I hope that you have a great day! I know that sending me reviews would make my day great!

Until next time~ artist-chan


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